


The Itch

by TripleSlash



Category: Septiplier - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Mark has an itch, Markiplier - Freeform, Same old, Septiplier AWAY!, With A Twist, jacksepticeye - Freeform, pewdiepie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-10-08 22:32:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10397646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripleSlash/pseuds/TripleSlash
Summary: Same old setup - Mark stuck in Hotel room with Jack (or vice-versa), however, this time, Mark has a little problem...What's the problem, you may ask?The itch.(Yay, clickb8 summary!)





	1. Early bird gets...

**Author's Note:**

> Started as an idea for smut fic, then i remembered that i don't know or want to write smut, so fluff it is. Sin still referenced, tho. Maybe we even get a little explicit near the end, hmmm? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Mark feels it.  
There it is.  
It's happening again.  
Oh, god. It's really happening again.  
This is bad. Really, really bad.

If there isn't a bathroom with lock or a very open-minded person at hand, a whole world of un-needed crushes and wet dreams are waiting for Mark.

Why _here_? Why **now**?  
Of all the times! Of all the places!  
Getting the itch with your best friend in the same hotel room as you is spelling trouble on the motherfucking double. Thankfully, the bathroom is right there, and has a lock. He just needs an excuse.

But what excuse can you make when you are literally **in the middle of a livestream**?

Wait or go? Stay and entertain millions or leave for private buisness? It's like he's having a Shakespearean drama inside his head! God, it's just-

"EARTH TO MARK! MARK COME IN!" Jack yells into his ear.  
"Ow! You irish bastard! Go yell at your pots of gold and lucky charms!" He tries to save himself.  
"Well, then, yankee, go swing a bat at the fookin mobsters with tommy guns, then!" Jack replies, jabbing him in the stomach slightly. Mark immediately bounces back on contact with Jack' elbow.  
"Dude, i'm half korean half german. Not a single drop of yankee blood in me. No offense to the yankees of the world, of course."  
Jack scoffs, mumbling "I knew that..." under his breath.  
"Now, where were we?" Mark salvages the conversation.  
"Righty! We were discussing the panels we will attend-" "Before you rudely interrupted us by yelling like there's no tomorrow." Mark interjected.

Sending a glance at the chat, he barely reads a message saying "You guys act like an old married couple." before it sped away in the rest of the chat that was flooded by other messages.

"Anyway, we will be attending Mark's panel, and if you want, I'll drag Mark into mine, if enough of you want it. And if i'm in the mood to deal with his shit." Jack finishes and bumps his shoulders with Mark that's sitting next to him. Mark flinches slightly.  
"Yeah, I'm obliged to babysit this green asshole, while he gets his own panel all for himself." He laughs nervously.  
It's going to shit. All of it. They need to end the stream right no- "Well, it appears that's all for today. See ya guys at PAX, hope to make y'all happy. Bye!" Mark realises just in time, and dons his happy-go-lucky smile and yells "Buh-bye!" as he waves to the camera

They go offline.

He sighs deeply. Wait. Shit.  
It's not there.  
"Fuck." Mark mumbles.  
Maybe it's just that he got used to it. There's still a chance.  
It's still not too late, right?  
Jack turns to Mark.  
"What is it?" he asks in his usual, perpetually energised tone.  
"N-nothing, nothing. Just remembered something i needed to do. I'll be right back." Mark makes the excuse he's been carefully planning for the past 10 - 15 minutes.  
Jack follows Mark with his gaze, before asking  
"Where are you going?"  
Shit. He hasn't planned it that far.  
"Umm... Well... To shower, of course." he makes another excuse up.  
"Yeah, you should. You kinda pong a bit." Jack says, nodding his head slightly.  
"I what?" Mark asks.  
"Y'know, pong, smell." Jack clarifies for him.  
"Right." Mark says. He speed-walks into the bathroom and immediately locks the door behind him.

Jack wasn't convinced.  
"Shower my _arse_. I'll bet anything he's just using that as an excuse for going tah jerk off." He mumbles to himself as he uploads a recording of the stream to Youtube. As he reviews the footage, something catches his eye.

Around 10 minutes before the end of the stream, he becomes visibly nervous. When Jack playfully bumped their shoulders together he flinched, that elbow jab made him recoil like a shotgun, and let's not mention the constant pauses.

"Somethin's wrong..." Jack thinks out loud. He turns towards the bathroom. The shower is going. "Huh, he really _is_  taking a shower. Guess I'm just an asshole.

Believe it or not, Mark **was**  taking a shower. A very long one. He was contemplating a few things. What now. Last time this happened, he got a crush on seven people. **Seven**. He still doesn't believe it himself. He wondered how he even managed in such a hell.

He finishes his shower, wrapping a towel around his waist as he gets out of the cabin. Putting on his deodorant he inspects his body.

 _People say this is a body to die for._  He traces the muscles on his chest and torso with his hand.   _Hah, you poor people have **no**  clue._ He thinks to himself.  
_I don't feel it anymore. That's bad._  
After a couple more moments of contemplating, he reaches for the non-exsistant clothes.  
_Shit, I forgot my shirt. And my underwear. And my socks. I forgot everything._  He sighs.  
_I rushed in here for a reason. Now there isn't one anymore. What now?_  He rubs his face with his hands exhaustedly.  
_Guess all I can do is hope Jack isn't out there to see me like this._  he finishes his thought and reluctantly unlocks and opens the door, only to literally bump into Jack, who was going to knock on his door to see when he was going to be done.

"Finally! I can go now!" Jack says and pushes past Mark awkwardly.  
"Oh, and, uhh, nice bod." he says, does a pair of finger-guns and then slams the bathroom door in Mark's face.


	2. Well, at least it isn't Doughnut Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the abrupt ending of the previous chapter, Jack and Mark are almost ready to head off for dinner with friends. How far will they get before disaster strikes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reviewing this chapter, I noticed that there is a slight mistake in one place. First person to find this mistake gets... Bragging rights. Also, i might have mis-characterized Wade or Bob had I written them more, so for now they will just be there for the sake of being there. I promise we will have more Wade, Bob and Felix action next chapter.

Mark is speechless. That is the first time he has directly received a compliment about his body. And from his best friend, of all people. Huh.

After putting on his boxers, he absent-mindedly puts on his new shirt he ordered a couple of days back. An official JackSepticEye tee that he ordered because it was there, in his size, it was a limited edition, and quite frankly, Jack was kind of adorable. No, wrong person, Septic-eye Sam, yeah, totally meant that.  
He picked some tasteful trousers and set a grey sweater aside for when they leave for dinner.

Jack exits the bathroom to find a streching and yawning Mark in his limited edition shirt. It's slightly smaller, so as soon as Mark raised his arms anywhere above his waist, he could see his abs.  
_He picked the wrong size, didn't he? Lucky me, it's quite the sight._  
"A fan, eh?" Jack asked, jokingly.  
Mark practically recoiled in place before collecting himself. "Yeah. Big fan. Bought all the Septic-eye Sam merch. You should see my secret shrine, totally up to date with your latest stuff!" Mark launches a casual jab at Jack's slightly narcissistic remark.  
"Yeah, well, it's not like _I_  fantasize about having oversized pink facial hair." he retorts.  
"Right. You fantasize about having an infected disembodied floating eye as a pet. _Much_  more normal." Mark argues.  
"Fair point, mister _I give my dog a voice_  Markiplier." Jack counters.  
"Yeah, sure, mister _I give zero fucks about social interaction and personal health_  Jack." He makes another jab, then continues the sentance with "Seriously though, you should sleep a bit more."  
"I know..." Jack replies.

"Anyways, you ready for the dinner?" He perks up slightly.  
_That's Jack for you. Always happy, no matter what._  
"Yup. Just say when and I'm ready to rock."  
"Good, because I'm not. Wait here. I'm gonna get some fresh clothes." Jack said as he booped Mark's nose and left for their room.

Why DID he do that? Why is he so touchy-feely all of a sudden? Is it just his natural state near friends? Is he annoying everyone like that? _Am I annoying Mark? Am I making him angry? Am I confusing him? Am I-_  Woops, too late, he's done changing. _Guess it'll have to wait. Jeez, this is some night..._  Jack thought as he walked out of their room, but he couldn't find Mark anywhere in the apartment at first glance. _Did he leave? Was he bored? I'm asking too many questions._  He then notices that the door is slightly ajar. Peeking out of their room, he notices Mark, leaning on a wall next to their hotel room door, seemingly waiting for Jack.

"Oh, finally, there you are. You done?" Mark asked.  
"Yeah. I am. Let's go." Jack answers.  
"Wait, where are we going? I didn't get any messages from anyone about the place."  
"That's why _I_  did, Mark. I'm the responsible one here." Jack says in a mocking tone of voice.  
Mark begins to form an argument, but stops.  
"Well, I guess." He has neither the energy nor time to argue.  
Jack was slightly taken aback by that.  
"I was expecting a witty remark about my voice or something. Wow. Are you _sure_ you're okay Maerk?"  
_Oh my god, his accent gets thicker when he's concerned, that is **adorable**  and I shouldn't be having these thoughts, should I?_  
With a sharp but barely audible inhale, Mark responds with a casual "Sure, I'm fine, let's go." but both of them know what it's not fine.

Jack contemplates things while they walk to the restoraunt. He has had a crush on Mark for what feels like forever and he feels terribly guilty about it. Wiish says she doesn't mind, and truely, she doesn't, but it still feels like a betrayal to Jack. He's been dealing with it, and it _has_  been getting better, ever since his girlfriend literally told him to get over it by yelling "Git Gud!" and other memes at the screen until he felt better about himself, and then went on and made pancakes on tape with her later.

Jack assumes he is less innocent than Mark, as evidenced by the fact that his laptops and phones browsing history are brimming with mature material, and god help you if you look at his bookmarks. Other than that, he also has a plethora of soundgasm Mark soundalikes saying things that are too **M+**  for a **T**  rated fic such as this.

Nonetheless, he still can't forgive himself for having such a catastrophic crush on his best friend. Although he hadn't made any advances on him yet, he's still wondering how Mark hasn't figured it out yet, or even just gotten suspicious. Excessive physical contact, increased flirting, stuck in the same hotel room... Oh and yes, he asked to be put in the same room as Mark, without telling him about it. Maybe he should have told him. Maybe then Mark would've gotten the hint.

To Jack, Mark looks like the most innocent person in the world, when that couldn't be farther from the truth. No matter what Jack... Well... Jacks to, pun entirely intended, he will never be even HALF as bad as Mark.

Jack is into both genders, Mark is into things that are also a bit too dirty for a fic like this, but I'll give you a hint, it starts with "B" and ends with "asically anything you can think of that does not include ethically compromising stuff, including certain kinks."

Now at the place Jack determined to be their destination, they enter the restaurant. On the outside, it looks like just any old restaurant you might find on the street, however once you enter, it becomes apparent that this is far from just a road side snack bar. Both of the guys were impressed, and a little embarrassed, seeing as they were dressed for Taco Bell, not a 5 star restaurant worthy of millionares.

As they are led to their reserved table, they find Bob already there, dressed just as casually.  
"Hey! Glad you could make it!" Bob greeted them.  
"Likewise! This place is so fancy!" Mark responded, taking a seat. Jack sits next to him.  
_Jack, if you just knew..._ Mark says internally while supressing un-nice thoughts.  
"I kinda feel bad for not dressing better for the occasion. I kind of feel... Dirty." Jack added. Mark wasn't far off from that too, as evidenced by him nodding his head.  
"Yeah, well, we're in this togather. Seeing as I forgot my suit." Bob said in a tone that sounded slightly smug.  
"Oh, so you wanted us to suffer your pain, huh? Well what if I told you that both Jack and I already have suits on under these hoodies here?" Mark said as he put his arm around Jack's shoulders and pulled him a bit closer in the seat.  
"Well, then I'd say that _you two_  don't fit in with the crowd, while Me, Wade and Pewds are the norm." Bob responded with a more prominently smug tone this time.  
"Wade, Pewds and me." Jack corrected him while trying to move away from Mark. Had the intensity of his deodorant not started to suffocate him, he probably would've moved even closer, but he breathes oxygen, not chemicals. Mark soon realised what Jack was doing and quickly but carefully removed his arm from around him.

"Well, looks like we're gonna have to fit in with the rest of the crowd like a bunch of boring Joes." Mark responded in an exaggerated tone with an equally exaggerated sad expression. Bob and Jack chuckled at this.  
Mark unzips his hoodie. _Was it always so warm in here?_  He asks internally, before dropping the inner debate in favor of external debates with his friends.

A couple of minutes of Jack messing with his utensils and/or phone while snacking on the seemingly endless supply of breadsticks pass until Felix and eventually Wade arrive. They talk for a bit before their waitress brings their menus over. No matter how fancy this place looks, their waitresses surpass... They are, well... Dressed for success.

Jack watches as the waitress that just gave them their menus leave. He pokes Mark's side with his elbow slightly to get his attention. Mark flinches again, but whispers "What?", leaning closer to Jack. "Don't you think the waitresses are dressed a bit like us?" Jack whispers. "Casually?" Mark asks. He's missing the point, and he knows it, he just doesn't see it. "No! I mean inappropriately!" Jack says, slightly louder than before, which immediately draws their friend's attention.  
"You guys planning a heist or something?" Felix asks. "Because I want in. I'm a great strategist!"  
Mark looks over to Pewds and gives him the 'Really?' look before replying with "Yeah, sure. There's one right across the street. It's been really buisy lately! We could totally use some help." Mark then motioned to his phone, and sent a message in private group that the waitresses are "dressed much like us".  
Everyone got it immediately, and they started firing off jokes. _Just gonna pretend that I immediately got it too..._  Mark thinks as he begins to joke around.  
They make their order when another waitress comes, and Wade couldn't help but sand a "dat ass" text to everyone while Jack was making his last minute decision. The waitress seemingly saw the message on one of their phones, so she said "Oh, you noticed? Nice observation skills, honey. Have a cookie." Wade was at a loss for words, while everyone else laughed their asses off, including the waitress. She ended up being their waitress for the night.

The night was going fine, until it happened. The after effect. It was the one thing Mark dreaded. He knew it was gonna happen, just not when or where. But he knew.  
It happened mid-conversation with Jack and Felix.  
Felix was in the middle of explaining something when Mark suddenly closed his eyes. It was coming. He needs to go, now.  
"I gotta go. I'll be right back." He makes an excuse, and leaves.  
"Okay, just be quick, our food is coming soon. We'd hate to start without you!" Felix calls out.

A few minutes have passed and Jack was starting to worry about Mark a lot. It's not natural for someone to stay in there for so long.  
"I'll go check up on him." Jack announced.  
"Yeah, you do that." Bob responded. "The food is coming already."  
Hearing that, Jack quickly sets off for the restrooms.

Mark's judgement was clouded. No, not clouded, more foggy. He knew what he was doing, just barely, but it was all basically practiced. He knew what he had to do to survive this. Just don't make eye contact, and all ends well. No crush, no nothing.

 

 

 

And then Jack comes in to ruin **_everything_**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mark's "itch", for all of those wondering, is much like being in... Well... Romantic Heat, if you will. I haven't planned it out completely just yet, but the basics are there. More details on It in the next chapter.  
> Comment critique and/or thoughts and ideas, as i'm always looking for more, and if you leave kudos, I will love you and cherish you forever.


	3. Before disaster was even a word...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It happened so suddenly. They had no idea it was coming...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was kind of creatively bankrupt for the following chapter, so i decided to make a chronological hop backwards to refresh myself.(AlsoSorryIBrokeMyPromiseForMore FelixBobAndWadeMoreNextChappPromise)

Mark and Jack walked into their hotel room. Mark was pissed beyond belief, while Jack was feeling both very entertained, and a bit guilty.

"God damn fucking hotel management..." Mark hisses. Jack is somewhat taken aback by the harshness of Mark's statement. "Is sleeping with me _that_  bad to you?" Jack said in a mock offended tone.  
Mark immeditely answered. "I have no issue sleeping with you, but they should've at least *warned* us that they might not have enough rooms!"  
Can't argue with that. _Maybe setting up this situation wasn't my best idea ever, but still, I didn't expect him to be **that**  pissed._

"I'll go unpack. You do... Whatever. Maybe record a vlog or something." Mark said. He no longer sounds enraged. Just exasperated. It was a long day for the both of them.  
Mark probably would've continued to bounce around in rage had Jack not been there. Mark had a soft spot for Jack, which he refuses to call a "crush" because... Who knows why.  
Maybe because he didn't want to make it awkward between them, maybe because he wanted to salvage what little stable sexuality he had left, but whatever the reason, he refuses to call it that.

"MARK! STREAM TIME!" Jack yelled out.  
At the time, Mark was browsing his Twitter feed.  
"Coming! Hold it off for a moment!" He said as he closed his laptop and hid it. Mostly because it's smut central. Partly because he has Jack as his desktop background image.

He runs into the living room. "Ok. We can go online now!" Jack turned to him with a painfully smug grin and said "You're late! Sit down next to me!" and pat the floor next to him. He started the livestream without telling Mark.  
_If you weren't so cute, I would probably kick your ass right about now._  Mark thought to himself as he shuffles down next to Jack.  
"Well, this is us, in a hotel room, stuck togather. Septiplier away." Jack said, looking into the camera. The chat is suddenly flooded with "Septiplier is canon" and such things, so they decided to do a QnA to calm the chat. It didn't work. At all.

Mark did a funny, Jack did a funny back, the stream was great and fine and alright. Up until...

Mark felt _it_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice little attempt at a segway. I would recommend music to listen to while reading this, but nah.


	4. Well, that happened...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disaster. Remember that word?  
> Yeah. That's this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a while to write this. A LONG while.  
> Whoops, lol, sorry notsorry.  
> It's uphill from here, though, because i have the rest planned out.

Jack wasn't worried. No, he wasn't! Really! He was just a slightly unnerved by the possible health problems Mark could be experiencing, such as suffocating due to an unknown and unexpected asthmatic fit, some kind of blood vessel breaking, causing him to bleed internally, a good old-fashioned cardiac arrest- Jack was **very worried**.

He all but ran into the restrooms only to find Mark leaning over one of the sinks looking at himself in the mirror, mumbling.  
_This is a setup that happens in literally every horror game ever. Thank god it's just Mark here. Wait, maybe that's the opposite of what I want._  
"M-Mark? You okay?"  
He broke the scilence. Mark quickly raised his head, started to turn it towards Jack, but stopped himself mid way, glueing his eyes back to the mirror.  
"Yeah? What is it? The food's arrived?" He spoke a bit too silently for his usual self.  
"Yes, it's here. Are you alright?" Jack asked with concern heavily evident in his voice.  
"Yes, I'm fine, Jack, just give me a moment." Mark said, raising his arm and gesturing "go away" with his hand.  
Jack ain't having any of that.  
"Mark, you need to tell me if something is wrong. Please, look at me."

Mark felt a slight shot of fear go down his spine. _Look at me. If i do that, we're both in trouble._  
"I can't. Just, please. Please, give me-" however he was cut off mid-sentence by Jack's foot steps, he was persistant. Mark could hear Jack walking over to him.  
_This is not happening._  Mark thought. _This isn't going to end well._

Jack carefully puts his hand on Mark's shoulder.  
"Please, Mark, you know I'm here to help, just tell me."

Jack momentarily looks up into the mirror, and their eyes meet. Mark tenses heavily. Jack is very confused by that. Then, out of nowhere, Mark sighs, turns to face Jack and hugs him. He whispers "I'm sorry." before he lets go of Jack, pats him on the shoulder with one hand and exits, leaving a confused and slightly scared Jack alone in the restrooms.

  
The rest of the dinner went fine. Eating their food (pasta mostly) and laughing their faces off. But both Mark and Jack were super awkward with each-other. Mark especially, seeing as his "soft spot" for Jack was growing into an undeniable crush.

They finally finished their meals, when someone _finally_  noticed the very tense atmosphere between the two. Felix, of all people.  
"Uhh... You guys okay? You look a bit distant... Both literally and figuratively." he said, noting the distance between them.  
"Uhh... Heh, it's nothing." Mark responded, sounding as natural as possible. "Just had a... Moment in the restrooms. That's all..." he said before thinking.  
"Moment, huh? Are you making my ship canon?" Wade immediately enters the conversation.  
"You ship them?" Bob asks Wade in what sounded like pure confusion.  
"Who doesn't? I'm pretty sure they both secretly ship each other with themselves." Wade answers. Bob looks at him with a knowing face and says "You didn't think that sentence through, did you?" to which Wade just shakes his head.  
The moment entertained everyone, and mostly made them forget about the whole "Moment in the bathroom fiasco" which Mark is _very_  grateful for.

It didn't last, though.  
It was getting late, and everyone was getting tired, so they called it a night. Mark and Jack walked to their hotel in sullen scilence until they arrived at their room. Jack unlocked the door, and they both went inside.

Neither of them spoke at all, aside from the occasional "sorry" or "c'mon".  
Both of them dropped onto their beds. Jack immediately fell asleep, while Mark was awake for a bit. Contemplating.  
_How do I explain it to him? I can't just say "Hey, Jack, I have this weird pseudo-mental disorder which puts me in heat and makes me get crushes on whoever i meet eyes with, also i love you now." because just no. I can't just break it to him. Sleeping in a hotel room will be even **more**  awkward. Our friendship will be completely destroyed if he says no (which he will because he has a girlfriend) and we won't ever... Ever... Just why? Why did I have to be like this?_  
Mark sighs.  
_What ever. I don't say this much, but tommorow's problems are for tomorrow's me. I have to sleep. We- I have a convention tomorrow. And fans want Markiplier, not Tirediplier._  and with that one last thought, he drifts off to dream land. He didn't have any dreams, though. Just a dark endless void that's **begging**  for a sign that says "For Rent" or something.

Meanwhile, Jack had a pretty interesting dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...which will be described next chapter.  
>  Man.  
> I  
> LOVE  
> cliffhangers.  
> Comments brighten my day and kudos will allow you to ascend above me. Because i'm creatively deprived and slightly hungry right now.


	5. Sour dreams...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heheheh...  
> It's been a while, hasn't it?  
> Sorry I've kept you waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was incredibly hard to write.  
> You'll see where I struggled.  
> And you'll know.

Jack was stunned by what he saw.  
He was speechless.  
It was terrifying.  
He never imagined himself in this situation for a reason.

Standing over your best friend/crushes corpse, holding a bloody knife is the last thing he would like to imagine. Yet there he was. He doesn't even remember how he got there, but there he was. He drops the knife.  
He couldn't do anything. Just fall on his knees and cry. That single solitary moment of pure despair was unbearable, but it seemed to strech on forever, never to stop the agony of the echoing thought and realisation.

He wakes up.  
_Oh god. That's the darkest dream I have ever had._  
He feels something warm running down his cheek.  
_Am I crying?_  
He wipes the tears and looks around. Mark is still there. Good. He then looks at the time on his phone.  
_I can cram a bit more sleep, I guess. Here's to hoping I dream of something nice._  And with that, he falls asleep again.

"This wasn't what I had in mind." He said to himself as he looked around a familiar room. It's Mark's room. He had quite a big bed.

Moments after Jack finished his sentance, Mark walked into the room, wearing nothing but a speedo.  
He walks towards Jack slowly, in a very sensual manner. _This is DEFINITELY not what I had in mind when I said "nice"._

Mark approaches the bed, seductively whispering "You like what you see, Jackaboy?". Jack realises that he's equally (un)dressed as Mark is. Jack tries to cover himself, or move his body at all, but fails. He can't move.  
_What the hell? Shit. This is bad._  Mark is already on the bed, now above Jack. Before Jack can say anything, though, Mark lands a deep kiss. Even though he was surprised by it, Jack returns the kiss like he was ready for it. It's like his body wasn't even his anymore. He moans slightly.

Mark pulls away and asks "Oh, you like this, don't you, Jackaboy?" in the same sensual tone. Mark moves back slighty and begins kissing and slightly nibbling on Jack's neck. He hits a sweet spot, and Jack moans louder. _Shit, this is so wrong. But it's so-_

Mark stops and moves to Jack's ear. "I can tell you what you want to hear." Jack responds automatically with a faint "Please." closing his eyes.  
Mark leans in and whispers:

" **Exotic butters...** "

It takes Jack a few moments to process that, he then looks up, only to find that Mark is gone.  
"What? Why is there basket of Exotic Butters on my chest, and why does it have a lenny face?"

He then wakes up.

When he decided to get up after contemplating if he should write that dream down, he found a stack of pancakes, the hotel room key and a note on the table.  
 _A note? That's interesting._  
He reads the aforementioned note.  
 _Dear Sean..._  
Jack took a moment. That's the first time Mark communicated with Jack in his real name. That must mean something.  
He then continues reading.  
_I know that telling you this via letter is selfish, and a bit lazy too, but I feel that I can't hide this from you anymore. Yesterday was likely confusing and/or traumatic for you, so I think the best way is for me to explain this in a letter._  
Jack sits down.  
_You might not believe what you read, but that's okay. I have... An itch, if you will. It's this feeling of need that I get sometimes, and if I don't fulfill it, it turns bad. I basically get a big crush on the first person I look in the eyes, which is why I hesitated to do so in the restrooms yesterday. So I guess I like you now. It doesn't help that I liked you before, but I guess it was somehow inevitable. Enjoy the pancakes._

 _Sincerely_ ,  
_Mark. <3_

"Okay, that actually sounded way better than what I expected to see." Jack said out loud.  
"With that said, let's eat." he continued.  
He then almost choked as he realised what he just read. Then the realisation continued to wash over him.  
_He flirts too much. He buys my merch. He has a SepticEyeSam plushie that he thinks I didn't see in his suitcase. He fuels our ship. How have I been so blind? Has it always been like this?_

 

Mark was at the convention. He was helping set up his panel, when he got a text message. He opens up his phone, stopping for a moment to appreciate Chica on the background wallpaper, and then opens his messaging app.

 **JACK:**  
**Am i too hot for youuu~?**

 **MARK:**  
**I'm not sure what i should make of that.**

 **JACK:**  
**C'mon. Be honest. How long?**

 **MARK:**  
**How long what?**

 **JACK:**  
**How long have you had a crush on me?**

 **MARK:**  
**Oh. So you've read the letter.**

 **JACK:**  
**A-yup. So, how long?**  
**How long have you had a liking for my lucky charms?**

 **MARK:**  
**Ignoring that innuendo, i've realised i had a crush on you back when you made your glasses video.**

 **JACK:**  
**Srsly?**

 **MARK:**  
**Yup. The sight of you in glasses was too cute to NOT wake me up.**

 **JACK:**  
**Oh. Also, that comment wasn't an innuendo. Well, not originally.**

 **MARK:**  
**Just get your Irish ass to the convention center.**

 **JACK:**  
**Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?**

 **MARK:**  
**I'm gonna pretend i didn't see that. See you there, bye!**

\---Mark has gone offline---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will take some RESEARCHING because it just so happens that i don't know what youtubers do when they are on conventions.  
> Woops.


	6. Wait, what just happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting better, it seems...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY! I GOT TO UPDATE THIS!

_Was I even thinking?_  Jack thought as he stared down his phone that's still displaying his conversation with Mark. _No, answer is no. I wasn't thinking at all. I just went with my gut, and as experience shows, that is **never**  a good thing._  
He pockets his phone.  
"Doh... Mistakes were made..." He mumbles to himself. He ate the pancakes, washed the dishes and got a fresh set of clothes and a new cap and sunglasses. Don't forget the sunglasses.  
He walks out of his hotel room and locks it.  
He takes the elevator.  
Walking out of the main door of his hotel, his face immediately assulted by the sun.  
Even though he was wearing sun-glasses, he squints for a moment as his eyes ajust to the brightness.  
_Ow._

After a bit of walking (and a quick purchase of a cola) he is stopped by a tap on the shoulder.  
"Yes?" Jack said, fully expecting a fan. He was already getting excited. Looking at the person who wanted his attention, he immediately knew they likely weren't.  
"Jack, take these off. You look better this way." The kid says. He looks about 17 years of age and he's pretty much equal to Jack in height. He takes Jack's sunglasses and before Jack can respond in any way, the kid attaches them to his shirt.  
"Trust me, I would know." he says, smiles sincerely, and then walks off.  
"Hey, no comment on my hat?" Jack says aloud. The kid turns and replies "Nah, dad has three." and waved as he rounded a corner.  
_Huh... Weird... Maybe he's right. I'll keep the glasses off, I guess._

A few other fans approached him, every single one of whom asked about the hat, without fail. Jack was kind of impressed. He has such a sharp-minded fanbase. _Or maybe they're just very loyal? Who knows_.

After a few more minutes of walking he arrived at the convention center.  
Music was already blaring from all sides, and the center was practically overflowing. There was an air of bubbling excitement. 

_This is gonna be FUN._

\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\/

Mark had taken a short break. He didn't feel the effects today, so he is incredibly productive. There still is that one thing lingering in the back of his mind, though. He can't quite put his finger on it. It's like he's forgetting _something_ , but he can't remember **what**.

Then it hit him.  
Literally.  
Getting up from his seat, still looking at his phone, he bumps into a green-haired person. He falls over.  
"Ow. Sorry, sorry, I-"  
He then looked up at Jack.  
"You need to watch where you're going. Maybe put your phone down." Jack said as he offered his hand.  
"Yeah, go fuck yourself." Mark said and grabbed Jack's hand to pull himself up.  
He was expecting something like sparks or an electric shock when they made contact, but it was just... Physical contact. Nothing he hadn't felt before.  
However, it seemed to put him in a kind of panic. Immediately after he let go of Jack's hand, he took three too many steps back.  
Jack looked at him questioningly.  
"You alright, Mark? You look a bit woozy." He asks, peering at him.  
Mark laughs.  
"Dude, who the hell uses 'woozy' anymore?"  
"Me. Now answer the question."  
"Alright, fine, calm down. I'm okay. Just feeling the onset of stage fright." He answers, shrugging.  
"How does stage fright translate to vertig- whatever. I won't question throw-away excuses." He says shaking his head.  
"You look tired, are YOU okay?" Mark asks.  
"I'm fiiiiiine, I just had an... Interesting dream, is all." He says trying to keep details to a minimum.  
"Ooohhh... Do tell." Mark said, leaning in. He wasn't planning on making it easy for him, was he?  
"It was... A nightmare." _I could easily be referring to either dream._  "And you were in it."  
"Oooohhhh... You have piqued my interest." Mark basically squeals, something Jack was convinced Mark is unable to do.  
"And in it you..." Mark stares at Jack intently. "You are d-dead."  
"Oooookay? There has to be more." Mark asks.  
"What, being told that you were dead in my nightmare isn't enough?" I ask.  
"What, me? Dead? That's a freakin' dream! There needs to be something else that shook you."  
Jack sighs.  
"In that dream, I find myself in front of your body holding a bloody knife. Nothing more than that."  
Mark tilts his head slightly.  
"That's it? That's all that happened? Then you just woke up?" He asks in disbelief.  
"Well there was this other dream that's a tad bit dirty so I'm not sharing, but yeah. That's all I dreamt tonight." _Did I just?_  
"Alright! Well, I've got work to do and fans to meet and so do you. Also, I like the hat. I'll take three." He says, winks and walks away rather abruptly, doing double finger guns.  
_Huh, he's a bit nervous. At least he's back to his usual goof self._  
Jack finger guns back, and walks off in the opposite direction. He pulls out his phone.  
There's a tweet by Mark published a few minutes back.  
**@markiplier BOOPER DOOPER**  
"All you fanaroonies better get looking, cuz I will be wandering 'round the con!"  
_Yup, sounds just about right for Mark._

Reading and replying to a couple of tweets from fans, Jack walks off, not neccecarily going anywhere.  
Not that it matters to him. He's lost in thought.  
_We never talked about the letter. I think he's trying to avoid talking about it._  
He bumps into someone.  
"Oh, sorry. Hi again."  
It's that same kid.  
"Hey! Uhhh... Who are you?"  
The kid flinches slightly, but quickly answers.  
"No one. No one in particular."  
"That's awfully cryptic." Jack thought out loud.  
"It doesn't matter. Listen. You have a stalker." He says, lowering his voice.  
Jack starts to say something, but the kid cuts him off.  
"Other than me. Yes."  
"Why should I trust you?" Jack asks, peering at the second party.  
"Why shouldn't you? And even if you don't, I'm simply telling you to be careful. Can't go wrong there." He says with a shrug.  
"Well, it was nice meeting you... I guess." Jack says awkwardly.  
"Don't worry, I can take a hint. See you around. Take care." He says and walks off.  
"Okay, bye." Jack calls out, then turns around and walks off himself.  
_Today cannot get any stranger._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, that was anti-climactic.  
> I'm thinking of adding a pseudo sci-fi mini ark to this.  
> Yay or nay?


End file.
